Ice hockey pants are, simply put, large shorts stuffed with padding and plastic inserts designed to protect the player's thighs, hips, pelvis and tailbone. Your mid section is likely to come into contact with pucks, hockey sticks, the boards, ice and the bodies of other players many times during a hockey game. Protecting yourself with a pair of properly-fitted ice hockey pants is imperative, whether you're a beginner or a highly skilled player in a competitive hockey league.

There are many manufacturers of ice hockey pants and the features vary from brand to brand and model to model. Some of the options and features that you ought to take into account when you're comparing different hockey pants include thigh zippers, suspender buttons, waist closure mechanisms, quality of the padding in the thighs, hips and tailbone, comfort and breathability of the pants. If you find a brand and line of hockey pants that appeal to you, you'll notice that each model from the beginner's model up to the elite level model has special features that are added on as you move up the line.

For example, if you compare the top of the line Bauer Vapor Ice Hockey Pant model to the mid-level model of Vapor Ice Hockey Pants you'll notice that the top of the line pants have features such as adjustable spine protection, a molded foam belt, extra ventilation, an improved liner, removable thigh guards and lightweight composite inserts for increased protection. All of these features are unavailable with the mid-level Vapor pants, which doesn't make them inferior in the sense that they don't offer ample protection for mid-level players. But, you certainly will benefit from purchasing the highest quality pants available because you'll get all of the extra features, just as is the case with any line of products.

Hockey Giant has a huge selection of senior, junior and youth ice hockey pants for players of all ages and skill levels from Bauer, Reebok, CCM, Warrior, Easton and others. Please take note that ice hockey pant shells do NOT offer protection. Pant shells are offered in a variety of colors and are made to be worn over your ice hockey pants or hockey girdle as a part of your uniform. Say, for instance, you have a pair of black ice hockey pants, but the team you just joined requires that you wear red hockey pants to match the rest of the team's uniforms – in this situation you can simply purchase a red pant shell to wear over your ice hockey pants rather than having to go out and purchase a brand new pair of red ice hockey pants.

We also recommend taking a look at our selection of other hockey protective gear, like our hockey gloves, shoulder pads and shin guards, along with our inventory of hockey apparel and accessories for hockey players of all ages and skill levels.